Vintage Tabletop Games
Payoff Machine, Ideal

Payoff Machine from Ideal (1978)

Released by Ideal in 1978, Payoff Machine was a tension-filled game of both skill and chance as players competed to hit a payoff of high-scoring marbles.

Jonny Quest Card Game from Milton Bradley (1964)

Released by Milton Bradley in 1965, the Jonny Quest Card Game is based on the original animated television series that premiered in 1964.

Slip Disc, Milton Bradley

Slip Disc from Milton Bradley (1980)

Published by Milton Bradley in 1980, Slip Disc was billed as an exciting skill and action game that pitted players against each other in a race for the win.

Vintage Games, Outdoor Recreation Simulation Games

The Great Outdoors: Sum-Sum-Summertime Simulation Games

Nicolas Ricketts explores vintage games that mirror summertime recreational activities.

Blockhead, Vintage Game, Parker Brothers

Blockhead! from Parker Brothers (1975)

Released by Milton Bradley in 1975, the Blockhead! stacking game incorporated spatial reasoning, hand-eye coordination, and steady nerves to construct a tower of colourful blocks.

Slime Monster Game from Mattel (1977)

In Mattel’s Slime Monster, players competed against each other to defeat a creature that invaded a town and oozed the green, viscous compound.

77 Sunset Strip from Lowell Toy Mfg. (1960)

The roll-and-move game was positioned as a hipper version of Clue and a reflection of the TV series’ swinging, martini-drinking, sports car-driving style.

Terrytoons Mighty Mouse from Milton Bradley (1978)

Published in 1978 by Milton Bradley, the Terrytoons Mighty Mouse game pitted the anthropomorphic superhero against the evil Dr. Catenstein in a race to save his girlfriend, Mitzi.

Wacky Races, Milton Bradley

The Wacky Races from Milton Bradley (1969)

Published by Milton Bradley in 1969, The Wacky Races game involved players traversing an illustrated countryside in flamboyant automobiles attempting to race past their opponents for the win.

Tickle Bee from Schaper (1956)

Published by Schaper in 1956, Tickle Bee was a manual dexterity game that challenged children to move a magnetic bee around a maze using a magnetic wand.

Kar-Zoom from Whitman (1964)

Released in 1964, Kar-Zoom from Whitman was a dexterity game that challenged players to score points by “racing their car” through a series of underpasses.

Vintage Board Games

Beyond the Mainstream: Alternatives to Your Favorite Board Games

Nicolas Ricketts recommends lesser-known board games based on popular counterparts.